Export Content

Overview

Unlayer supports multiple export formats. Some are client-side (free), others use the Cloud API (paid).

Which Export Method?

Method	Output	Paid?	Use When
`exportHtml`	HTML + design JSON	No	Email sending, web publishing, saving designs
`exportPlainText`	Plain text + design	No	SMS, accessibility fallback
`exportImage`	PNG URL + design	Yes	Thumbnails, previews, social sharing
`exportPdf`	PDF URL + design	Yes	Print-ready documents
`exportZip`	ZIP URL + design	Yes	Offline download packages

Critical: Always save the design JSON alongside any export. All export methods return data.design — save it so users can edit later.

Save & Load Designs

// SAVE — use exportHtml to get both design JSON and HTML
unlayer.exportHtml(async (data) => {
  await fetch('/api/templates', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      design: data.design,  // Save this — needed to edit later
      html: data.html,      // The rendered HTML output
    }),
  });
});

// LOAD — restore a saved design (must wait for editor:ready)
unlayer.addEventListener('editor:ready', async () => {
  const response = await fetch('/api/templates/123');
  const saved = await response.json();
  unlayer.loadDesign(saved.design);   // Pass the saved JSON object
});

// LOAD BLANK
unlayer.loadBlank({ backgroundColor: '#ffffff', contentWidth: '600px' });

// LOAD AN UNLAYER TEMPLATE
unlayer.loadTemplate(templateId);     // ID from Unlayer dashboard

Export HTML

unlayer.exportHtml((data) => {
  const { html, design, chunks } = data;

  // html     — Full HTML document (string)
  // design   — Design JSON (always save this!)
  // chunks   — { css, js, body, fonts, tags }
  //   body   — Just the content inside <body> (no wrapper)
  //   css    — Extracted CSS styles
  //   fonts  — Web fonts used in the design

  // Save both to your backend
  await fetch('/api/templates', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ design, html }),
  });
}, {
  // All options are optional
  cleanup: true,          // Remove editor markup (default: true)
  minify: false,          // Minify HTML output
  inlineStyles: false,    // Move CSS inline (for email clients)
  mergeTags: {},          // Replace merge tags with real values
  title: 'My Email',     // Set HTML <title>
});

Using chunks — when you need just the body content (no <!DOCTYPE> wrapper):

unlayer.exportHtml((data) => {
  const { body, css, fonts } = data.chunks;
  const myHtml = `<style>${css}</style>${fonts}${body}`;
});

Export Plain Text

unlayer.exportPlainText((data) => {
  const { text, design } = data;
  // Use as email plain-text fallback
}, {
  ignorePreheader: false,
  ignoreLinks: false,
  ignoreImages: false,
  mergeTags: {},
});

Export Image (Paid — Cloud API)

Generates a PNG screenshot of the design. The image uploads to your connected File Storage.

Client-side:

unlayer.exportImage((data) => {
  // data.url    — PNG URL
  // data.design — Design JSON (always save this!)
  console.log('Image URL:', data.url);
}, {
  fullPage: false,           // true = entire page, false = viewport
  mergeTags: {},
});

Server-side via Cloud API (get API key from Dashboard > Project > Settings > API Keys):

const response = await fetch('https://api.unlayer.com/v2/export/image', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    Authorization: 'Basic ' + Buffer.from('YOUR_API_KEY:').toString('base64'),
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    displayMode: 'email',
    design: designJSON,       // The saved design JSON object
    mergeTags: {},
  }),
});

const data = await response.json();
// data.url — image URL

Export PDF / ZIP (Paid — Cloud API)

// PDF
unlayer.exportPdf((data) => {
  // data.url    — PDF URL
  // data.design — Design JSON
}, { mergeTags: {} });

// ZIP
unlayer.exportZip((data) => {
  // data.url    — ZIP URL
  // data.design — Design JSON
}, { mergeTags: {} });

Auto-Save Pattern

Design + HTML (recommended):

let saveTimeout;

unlayer.addEventListener('design:updated', () => {
  clearTimeout(saveTimeout);
  saveTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
    unlayer.exportHtml(async (data) => {
      await fetch('/api/templates/123', {
        method: 'PUT',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ design: data.design, html: data.html }),
      });
    });
  }, 1000);
});

Design + HTML + Thumbnail (full):

let saveTimeout;

unlayer.addEventListener('design:updated', () => {
  clearTimeout(saveTimeout);
  saveTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
    // Save design + HTML immediately
    unlayer.exportHtml(async (data) => {
      await fetch('/api/templates/123', {
        method: 'PUT',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ design: data.design, html: data.html }),
      });
    });

    // Generate thumbnail (slower, paid — debounce longer or do on manual save)
    unlayer.exportImage(async (data) => {
      if (!data.url) return;
      await fetch('/api/templates/123/thumbnail', {
        method: 'PUT',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ thumbnailUrl: data.url }),
      });
    }, { fullPage: false });
  }, 3000); // Longer debounce for image generation
});

Design JSON Quick Reference

The design JSON has this structure (see references/design-json.md for full TypeScript types):

JSONTemplate
├── counters          — Internal counters
├── schemaVersion     — Schema version number
└── body
    ├── rows[]        — Each row contains columns
    │   ├── cells[]   — Column ratios: [1,1] = 50/50
    │   └── columns[]
    │       └── contents[]  — Content items (text, image, button...)
    ├── headers[]     — Same as rows (with headersAndFooters feature)
    ├── footers[]     — Same as rows
    └── values        — Body-level styles (backgroundColor, contentWidth, fontFamily)

Content types: text, heading, button, image, divider, social, html, video, menu, timer.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Only saving HTML, not design JSON	Always save both — all export methods return `data.design`
Calling export before `editor:ready`	Wait for the event first
Not configuring File Storage for image/PDF export	Image and PDF uploads go to your connected File Storage
Not debouncing auto-save	`design:updated` fires on every keystroke — debounce 1-3 seconds
Ignoring `chunks` in exportHtml	Use `chunks.body` when you need just content without `<!DOCTYPE>` wrapper
Missing API key for image/PDF/ZIP	Cloud API key required — get from Dashboard > Project > Settings > API Keys

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
`exportImage` returns error	Check API key, check Cloud API plan, verify design isn't empty
Exported HTML looks different from editor	Use `cleanup: true` (default), check custom CSS
`design:updated` fires too often	Always debounce — it fires on every property change
Loaded design shows blank	Check `schemaVersion` compatibility, validate JSON structure

unlayer-export